Tag: FY2021

Former Refugee ‘bigwigs’ Beg Pompeo to Not Suspend Refugee Admissions

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

As I have been reporting, September is the month when the President normally sends a “determination” to the Hill (for consultation only) in which he reports what the refugee admissions ceiling will be in the upcoming fiscal year which begins October 1. However, he is not required by law to agree to admit any refugees.

All of my recent posts on the topic are tagged FY2021.

There are rumors that President Trump will simply not send anything to Congress effectively signaling a suspension of the program.

Editor:  BTW, regular readers of RRW might be interested in seeing two posts at Frauds and Crooks that could easily have been posted here because they are refugee related. See here and here.

Below we have news from ABC about a letter to Pompeo from mostly a bunch of people you (or I) have never even heard of who participated in changing America by changing the people for decades.

Trump admin urged to accept refugees amid concerns it will indefinitely delay admissions

A group of prominent former U.S. officials is joining state and local governments, U.S. lawmakers, religious leaders and resettlement agencies in urging the Trump administration to increase refugee admissions in fiscal year 2021 amid historic need around the world.

We followed Obama’s last Asst. Sec. of State Anne Richard extensively on these pages. https://refugeeresettlementwatch.org/?s=Anne+Richard

The administration is supposed to consult with Congress and make a decision by the end of the fiscal year, in one week. But there is growing concern that President Donald Trump will decide to zero out refugee admissions, delay them indefinitely, or reduce the admissions cap even further.

[….]

A State Department spokesperson declined to comment on Trump’s cap and “the internal discussions or the timeline related to its development,” but told ABC News it was ultimately the president’s decision.

Reuters reported earlier this month that the administration is considering postponing or further cutting admissions.

Schwartz preceded Richard. See RRW posts on Schwartz. Both Richard and Schwartz had early career help from organizations connected to George Soros. https://refugeeresettlementwatch.org/?s=Eric+Schwartz

Seven former U.S. officials who ran the refugee admissions program under both Republican and Democrat administrations urged Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to express alarm at such a suspension and call for a “substantial increase” in admissions.

More here.

Do we believe for a second that this letter will hold any sway with the President?

Here is the nothingburger letter and the signatories (Purcell and Dewey are reportedly Republicans):

The Honorable Frank Loy
Former Director of the Bureau of Refugee Programs (1980–1981) Former Undersecretary of State for Global Affairs

James N. Purcell, Jr.
Former Director of the Bureau of Refugee Programs (1982–1986) Former Director General of the International Organization for Migration

The Honorable Phyllis Oakley
Former Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration (1994–1997) Former Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research

The Honorable Arthur Dewey
Former Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration (2002–2005) Former United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees

Samuel Witten
Former Acting Assistant Secretary for Population, Refugees, and Migration (2007–2009) Former Deputy Legal Adviser for the U.S. Department of State

The Honorable Eric Schwartz
Former Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration (2009–2011) Former NSC Senior Director for Multilateral and Humanitarian Affairs

The Honorable Anne C. Richard
Former Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration (2012–2017) Former Director of the Secretary’s Office of Resources, Plans, and Policy, Department of State

Refugee Industry Activists: A Trump Second Term Could End Program Completely

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Really, with all the much more important and interesting news coming at us every other minute, I am sure the US Refugee Admissions Program is the farthest thing from your minds.

However, it isn’t for the resettlement contractors under their lobbying umbrella, the Refugee Council USA*** which held a press call earlier this month to wail and moan over the status of the program.

You can read the story yourself at the Catholic publication Crux, but here is one little snip of the press call (unclear how much press was even on the call).

As federal fiscal year nears, refugee resettlement agencies fear the worst

You will remember that refugee champion, California Rep. Zoe Lofgren, played a major role in the Trump Impeachment charade.

In a Sept. 10 press call hosted by Refugee Council USA, which included a panelist from Catholic Charities Dallas, a volunteer at a Catholic refugee resettlement agency, and Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, among others, participants expressed worries about how the administration has chiseled away at the program and its possible demise if a second term of the Trump presidency comes to fruition.

“The administration has systematically reduced our commitment to resettling refugees,” said Lofgren, a Democrat from California and chair of the House Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship. “The Trump administration, regrettably, has completely betrayed the spirit and the letter of the Refugee Act.”

Read it all here.

Meanwhile at a rally in Minnesota Trump focused on Joe Biden’s plan to rev-up the refugee program if he wins in November.  From Politico:

Trump at Minnesota rally: Biden will turn state into a ‘refugee camp’

Expect some news in the next ten days as fiscal year 2021 arrives on October first.

Remember that there is no requirement in the Refugee Act of 1980 for the President to admit a single refugee.

All posts on this year’s determination are tagged FY2021.

***I have an extensive archive on the Refugee Council USA, the Washington DC lobbying office created under the auspices of Church World Service, that works to promote refugee resettlement.

540 Local Elected Officials Tell Trump to Open Refugee Pipeline

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

I told you here that the refugee industry was working on a letter to the President urging him to get the refugee flow into America moving again.

Yesterday they sent the letter with 540 signatories.

Says Amnesty International:

By signing this letter, these elected officials have joined together to voice their commitment to welcoming refugees in their communities and reviving the United States’ legacy as a leader in refugee resettlement.

I notice something missing from the letter. It avoids giving the President a number, but the industry has made it very clear!

They want 95,000 refugees to begin arriving on October first.

The President could make a decision this month on how many refugees might be invited to live in the US in FY2021. He could also legally set the ceiling at zero.

All of my posts on the topic are tagged FY2021.

Here are the signatories from yesterday.  The list is handy for identifying those local elected officials who are changing America by changing the people.

I don’t know why the organizers think that these open borders advocates will hold any sway with the President, but they sure make it handy for you to identify the other side where you live. Target them for retirement when they come up for re-election!

(For a little additional fun, see last year’s list here.)

They say the list is bipartisan, but there is no indication of party affiliation.  You will need to look through those listed in your state to see if Republicans are among those looking to import more poverty to your city.

Alabama
Gary Palmer, State Representative, Birmingham
Neil Rafferty, State Representative, Birmingham

Alaska
Elvi Gray-Jackson, State Senator, Anchorage
Andrew Josephson, State Representative, Juneau

Arizona
Ylenia Aguilar, School Board Member, Phoenix
Lela Alston, State Senator, Phoenix
Richard Andrade, State Representative, Phoenix
Andres Cano, State Representative, Tucson
Steven Chapman, Governing Board Member, Phoenix
Cesar Chavez, State Representative, Phoenix
Paul Cunningham, Vice Mayor, Tucson
Andrea Dalessandro, State Senator, Green Valley
Devin Del Palacio, School Board Member, Tolleson
Elora Diaz, School Governing Board Member, Phoenix
Paul Durham, Councilmember, Tucson
Diego Espinoza, State Representative, Avondale
Charlene Fernandez, State Representative, Phoenix
Kristel Ann Foster, School Board President, Tucson
Randall Friese, State Representative, Tucson
Rosanna Gabaldon, State Representative, Sahuarita
Kate Gallego, Mayor, Phoenix
Carlos Garcia, Councilmember, Phoenix
Betty Guardado, Vice Mayor, Phoenix
Daniel Hernandez, State Representative, Tucson
Berdetta Hodge, Tempe Union Governing Board President, Tempe
Steve Kozachik, Councilmember, Tucson
Lauren Kuby, Councilmember, Tempe
Pedro Lopez, Governing Board Member, Phoenix
Adam Lopez-Falk, School Board Member, Phoenix
Lindsay Love, Chandler Unified School District Governing Board Member, Chandler
Juan Mendez, State Senator, Tempe
Patrick Morales, Vice President of the Tempe School Elementary Board and Governing Board Member, Tempe
The Honorable Channel Powe, Governing Board President, Phoenix
Stanford Prescott, Governing Board Member, Phoenix Union High School District, Phoenix
Martín Quezada, State Senator, Phoenix
Rebecca Rios, State Senator, Phoenix
Diego Rodriguez, State Representative, Laveen
Regina Romero, Mayor, Tucson
Athena Salman, State Representative, Tempe
Lane Santa Cruz, Councilmember, Tucson
Raquel Teran, State Representative, Phoenix
Monica Trejo, School Board Member, Tempe
Corey D. Woods, Mayor, Tempe

Arkansas
Andrew Collins, State Representative, Little Rock
Megan Godfrey, State Representative, Springdale
Sonia Gutierrez, Councilmember, Fayetteville
Lioneld Jordan, Mayor, Fayetteville
Matthew Petty, Councilmember, Fayetteville
Joy Springer, State Representative, Little Rock

California
Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, Assemblymember, Sacramento
John J. Bauters, Councilmember, Emeryville
Bob Blumenfield, Councilmember, Los Angeles
Maya Esparza, Councilmember, San Jose
Kevin Faulconer, Mayor, San Diego
Eric Garcetti, Mayor, Los Angeles
Sam Hindi, Councilmember, Foster City
Johnny Khamis, Councilmember, San Jose
Paul Koretz, Councilmember, Los Angeles
Sheila Kuehl, County Supervisor, Los Angeles
Gordon Mar, City and County Supervisor, San Francisco
Peggy McQuaid, Vice Mayor, Albany
Lisa Middleton, Councilmember, Palm Springs
Hillary Ronen, Supervisor, San Francisco
Philip Y. Ting, Assemblymember, San Francisco
Norman Yee, President, Board of Supervisors of the City and County of San Francisco

Colorado
KC Becker, State Representative, Boulder
Yadira Caraveo, State Representative, Thornton
Lisa Cutter, State Representative, Littleton
Stephen Fenberg, State Senate Majority Leader, Boulder
Stacie Gilmore, Councilmember, Denver
Julie Gonzales, State Senator, Denver
Michael Hancock, Mayor, Denver
Eva Henry, County Commissioner, Thornton
John Kefalas, County Commissioner, Fort Collins
Chris Kennedy, State Representative, Lakewood
Cathy Kipp, State Representative, Fort Collins
Robin Kniech, Councilwoman At-Large, Denver
Jacob LaBure, Councilman, Lakewood
Pete Lee, State Senator, Colorado Springs
Susan Lontine, State Representative, Denver
Dominick Moreno, State Senator, Commerce City
Crystal Murillo, Councilmember, Aurora
Deborah Ortega, Councilmember At-Large, Denver
Dylan Roberts, State Representative, Avon
Amanda P. Sandoval, Councilwoman, Denver
Lauren Simpson, Councilmember, Arvada
Sam Weaver, Mayor, Boulder
Steven Woodrow, State Representative, Denver

Connecticut
Roland Lemar, State Representative, New Haven
Matthew Lesser, State Senator, Middletown
Edwin Vargas, State Representative, Hartford

Delaware
Bruce C. Ennis, State Senator, Dover

District of Columbia
Brianne K. Nadeau, Councilmember
Brooke Pinto, Councilmember
Elissa Silverman, Councilmember

Florida
Trish Becker, Special District County Commissioner, St. Augustine
Christopher Benjamin, State Representative, Miami Gardens
Lori Berman, State Senator, Delray Beach
Mack Bernard, County Commissioner, West Palm Beach
Marlon Bolton, Mayor, Tamarac
Emma Collum, Supervisor, Fort Lauderdale
Fentrice Driskell, State Representative, Tampa
Bobby DuBose, State Representative, Fort Lauderdale
Nicholas Duran, State Representative, Miami
Buddy Dyer, Mayor, Orlando
Anna Eskamani, State Representative, Orlando
Jelani Harvey, Supervisor, Plantation
Sabrina Javellana, Vice Mayor, Hallandale Beach
Evan Jenne, State Representative, Hollywood
Shevrin Jones, State Representative, West Park
Dotie Joseph, State Representative, Miami
Vanessa Joseph, City Clerk, North Miami
Sarah Leonardi, Broward School Board Member-Elect, Pompano Beach
Amy Mercado, State Representative, Orlando
Cindy Polo, State Representative, Hialeah
Tina Polsky, State Representative, Boca Raton
Harold Pryor, Broward County State Attorney-Elect, Broward County
Chelsea Reed, Councilmember, Palm Beach Gardens
Alissa Schafer, Supervisor, Soil & Water Conservation District, Pembroke Pines
Joshua Simmons, Commissioner, Coral Springs
Nick Sortal, Councilmember, Plantation
Carlos Guillermo Smith, State Representative, Orlando
Linda Stewart, State Senator, Orlando
Annette Taddeo, State Senator, Miami
Victor Torres, State Senator, Orlando/Kissimmee

Georgia
Becky Evans, State Representative, Atlanta
Anthony Ford, Mayor, Stockbridge
Steve Henson, State Senator, Stone Mountain
Zulms Lopez, State Representative-Elect, Atlanta
Pedro Marin, State Representative, Duluth

Hawaii
Stanley Chang, State Representative, Honolulu
Roy Takumi, State Representative, Honolulu
Tina Wildberger, State Representative, Kihei

Idaho
Shawn Barigar, Councilmember ember, Twin Falls
Jimmy Hallyburton, Councilmember, Boise
Kendra Kenyon, County Commissioner, Boise
Diana Lachiondo, County Commissioner, Boise
Lauren McLean, Mayor, Boise
Lauren Necochea, State Representative, Boise
Melissa Wintrow, State Representative, Boise

Illinois
Alma Anaya, County Commissioner, Chicago
Scott Britton, County Commissioner, Glenview
James Cappleman, Alderman, Chicago
Melissa Conyears-Ervin, City Treasurer, Chicago
Daniel Didech, State Representative, Buffalo Grove
Laura Fine, State Senator, Glenview
Robyn Gabel, State Representative, Evanston
Edgar Gonzalez, Jr., State Representative, Chicago
Will Guzzardi, State Representative, Chicago
Lindsey LaPointe, State Representative, Chicago
Daniel La Spata, Alderman, Chicago
Lori E. Lightfoot, Mayor, Chicago
Raymond Lopez, Alderman, Chicago
Matthew Martin, Alderman, Chicago
Kevin Morrison, County Commissioner, Schaumburg
Jonathan “Yoni” Pizer, State Representative, Chicago
Ann Rainey, Alderman, Evanston
George Van Dusen, Mayor, Skokie
Andre Vasquez, Alderman, Chicago

Indiana
Zach Adamson, City Councilor, Indianapolis
John Hamilton, Mayor, Bloomington
Blake Johnson, State Representative, Indianapolis

Iowa
Marti Anderson, State Representative, Des Moines
Tracy Ehlert, State Representative, Cedar Rapids
Lindsay James, State Representative, Dubuque
Mary Mascher, State Representative, Iowa City
Andy McKean, State Representative, Anamosa
Brent Oleson, County Commissioner, Marion
Art Staed, State Representative, Cedar Rapids
Zacharia Wahls, State Senator, Coralville
Stacey Walker, County Supervisor, Cedar Rapids

Kansas
Lacey Cruse, County Commissioner, Wichita
Joyce Warshaw, Mayor, Dodge City
Rui Xu, State Representative, Westwood

Kentucky
Nima Kulkarni, State Representative, Louisville
Susan Westrom, State Representative, Lexington

Louisiana
Cyndi Nguyen, Councilmember, New Orleans

Maine
Pious Ali, City Councilor At-Large, Portland
Brownie Carson, State Senator, Harpswell
Kristen S. Cloutier, State Representative, Lewiston
Jim Handy, State Representative, Lewiston
Thom Harnett, State Representative, Gardiner
Deane Rykerson State Representative, Kittery Point
Denise Tepler, State Representative, Topsham

Maryland
Malcolm Augustine, State Senator, Annapolis
Colin Byrd, Mayor, Greenbelt
Julie Palakovich Carr, Delegate, District 17
Kathleen Dumais, State Representative, Annapolis
Cindy Dyballa, Councilmember, Takoma Park
Brian Feldman, State Senator, Annapolis
Jessica Feldmark, Delegate, Columbia
David Fraser-Hidalgo, Delegate, Annapolis
Dannielle Glaros, County Councilmember, Upper Marlboro
Evan Glass, County Councilmember, Montgomery County
Edouard Haba, Councilmember, Hyattsville
Tom Hucker, Montgomery County Councilmember, Silver Spring
Julian Ivey, Delegate, Cheverly
Anne Kaiser, Delegate, Silver Spring
Kacy Kostiuk, Councilmember, Takoma Park
Clarence Lam, State Senator, Columbia
Susan Lee, State Senator, Annapolis
Mary Lehman, State Representative, Laurel
Sara Love, Delegate, Annapolis
David Moon, Delegate, Takoma Park
Joseline Peña-Melnyk, Delegate, Annapolis
Paul Pinsky, State Senator, Hyattsville
Sheila Ruth, Delegate, Baltimore
Emily Shetty, Delegate, Kensington
Jeffrey Zane Slavin, Mayor, Somerset
Kate Stewart, Mayor, Takoma Park
Deni Taveras, County Councilmember, Adelphi
Jeff Waldstreicher, State Senator, Kensington
Jheanelle Wilkins, Delegate, Silver Spring
Patrick Wojahn, Mayor, College Park

Massachusetts
Kenzie Bok, Councilor, Boston
Candy Mero Carlson, City Councilor, Worcester
Harriette Chandler, State Senator, Worcester
Jo Comerford, State Senator, Florence
Natalie Higgins, State Representative, Leominster
Adam Hinds, State Senator, Pittsfield
Kay Khan, State Representative, Newton
Daniel Koh, Selectboard Member, Andover
Jack Patrick Lewis, State Representative, Framingham
Michael Moore, State Senator, Worcester
David J. Narkewicz, Mayor, Northampton
Tram Nguyen, State Representative, Andover
William Reichelt, Mayor , West Springfield
Lindsay Sabadosa, State Representative, Northampton
Jeffrey Thielman, Arlington School Committee Member, Arlington
Martin J. Walsh, Mayor, Boston

Michigan
Rosalynn Bliss, Mayor, Grand Rapids
Brandon Haskell, County Commissioner, Lansing
Steve Maas, Mayor, City of Grandville
Gwen Markham, County Commissioner, Novi
William Miller, County Commissioner, Pontiac
Kurt Reppart, City Commissioner, Grand Rapids
Monica Sparks, County Commissioner, Kentwood
Robert Wittenberg, State Representative, Huntington Woods
Milinda Ysasi, City Commissioner, Grand Rapids
Doug Zylstra, County Commissioner, Holland

Minnesota
Peter Fischer, State Representative, Maplewood
Jacob Frey, Mayor, Minneapolis
Cam Gordon, Councilmember, Minneapolis
Alice Hausman, State Representative, Saint Paul
Kaohly Her, State Representative, Saint Paul
Melissa Hortman, State Representative, Brooklyn Park
Mitra Jalali, Councilmember, Saint Paul
Frank Jewell, County Commissioner, Duluth
Andrew Johnson, Councilmember, Minneapolis
Sydney Jordan, State Representative, Minneapolis
Fue Lee, State Representative, Saint Paul
Jamie Long, State Representative, Minneapolis
John Marty, State Senator, Roseville
Rena Moran, State Representative, Saint Paul
Beth Olson, County Commissioner, Duluth
Rafael E. Ortega, County Commissioner, Saint Paul
Sandy Pappas, State Senator, Saint Paul
Dave Pinto, State Representative, Saint Paul
Victoria Reinhardt, County Commissioner, White Bear Lake
Cory Springhorn, Councilmember, Shoreview
Jay Xiong, State Representative, Saint Paul

Mississippi
Christopher Bell, State Representative, Jackson
Chokwe Antar Lumumba, Mayor, Jackson

Missouri
LaDonna Appelbaum, State Representative, St. Louis
Shane Cohn, Alderman, St. Louis
Marlene Davis, Alderwoman, St. Louis
Christine Ingrassia, Alderwoman, St. Louis
Kip Kendrick, State Representative, Columbia
Lyda Krewson, Mayor, St. Louis
Heather Navarro, Alderwoman, St. Louis
Lewis Reed, President, Board of Aldermen, St. Louis
Annie Rice, Alderwoman, St. Louis

Montana
Dick Barrett, State Senator, Missoula
Mary Ann Dunwell, State Representative, Helena
John Engen, Mayor, Missoula
Moffie Funk, State Representative, Helena
Katharin Kelker, State Representative, Billings
Marilyn Marler, State Representative, Missoula
Penny Ronning, Councilwoman, Billings
David Strohmaier, County Commissioner, Missoula
Juanita Vero, County Commissioner, Missoula
Tom Winter, State Representative, Missoula

Nebraska
Leirion Gaylor Baird, Mayor, Lincoln
Sue Crawford, State Senator, Bellevue
Machaela Cavanaugh, State Senator, Lincoln

Nevada
Yvanna Cancela, State Senator, Las Vegas
Howard Watts, Assemblymember, Las Vegas

New Hampshire
Amanda Bouldin, State Representative, Manchester
Andrew Bouldin, State Representative, Manchester
Lisa Bunker, State Representative, Exeter
Joyce Craig, Mayor, Manchester
David Doherty, State Representative, Pembroke
Nicole Klein Knight, State Representative, Manchester
Patrick Long, State Representative & Alderman, Manchester
Dr. Peter Somssich, State Representative, Portsmouth
George Sykes, State Representative, Lebanon
Suzanne Vail, State Representative, Nashua
Mary Beth Walz, State Representative, Bow
Safiya Wazir, State Representative, Concord
Matthew B. Wilhelm, State Representative, Manchester

New Jersey
Jim Boyes, Councilman, Westfield
David Cohen, Council President, Princeton
Leticia Fraga, Councilwoman, Princeton
Roy Freiman, Assemblymember, Hillsborough
Sadaf Jaffer, Mayor, Montgomery Township
Devra Keenan, Committee Member, Montgomery Township, New Jersey
Michelle Pirone Lambros, Councilwoman, Princeton
Liz Lempert, Mayor, Princeton
Gayle Brill Mittler, Mayor, Highland Park
Eve Niedergang, Councilmember, Princeton
Mia Sacks, Councilmember, Princeton
Dwaine Williamson, Councilman, Princeton

New Mexico
Karen Bash, State Representative, Albuquerque
Timothy Keller, Mayor, Albuquerque
Gerald Ortiz y Pino, State Senator, Albuquerque
Bill Tallman, State Senator, Albuquerque
Renee Villarreal, Councilwoman, Santa Fe

New York
Alessandra Biaggi, State Senator, Bronx
Karla Boyce, County Legislator, Honeoye Falls
Noam Bramson, Mayor, New Rochelle
Byron W. Brown, Mayor, Buffalo
David Buchwald, Assemblymember, Mount Kisco
Bill de Blasio, Mayor, New York City
Margaret Chin, Councilmember, New York City
Patricia Fahy, Assemblymember, Albany
Vincent Felder, Minority Leader of the Monroe County Legislature, Rochester
Andrew Gounardes, State Senator, New York City
Brad Hoylman, State Senator, New York City
Timothy Kennedy, State Senator, Buffalo
Liz Krueger, State Senator, New York City
Charles Lavine, Assemblymember, Glen Cove
Donna Lupardo, Assemblymember, Binghamton
Rachel May, State Senator, Syracuse
Félix W. Ortiz, Assemblymember, Brooklyn
Amy Paulin, Assemblymember, Scarsdale
Karines Reyes, Assemblymember, Bronx
Carlina Rivera, Councilmember, New York City
Linda B. Rosenthal, Assemblymember, New York City
Nily Rozic, Assemblymember, Queens
Sean Ryan, Assemblymember, Buffalo
Kathy Sheehan, Mayor, Albany
MaryJane Shimsky, County Legislator, White Plains
Jo Anne Simon, Assemblymember, Brooklyn
Colin D. Smith, Westchester County Legislator, Peekskill
Fred Thiele, Assemblymember, Sag Harbor
Daniel Torres, Deputy Supervisor, New Paltz
Lovely Warren, Mayor, Rochester
Steven Weinberg, Mayor, Village of Thomaston
David Weprin, Assemblymember, Fresh Meadows
Gregory Young, County Supervisor, Gloversville

North Carolina
Vickie Adamson, County Commissioner, Raleigh
John Autry, State Representative, Raleigh
Mary Belk, State Representative, Charlotte
Natalie Beyer, School Board Member, Durham
Javiera Caballero, Councilmember, Durham
Heidi Carter, County Commissioner, Durham
Susan Fisher, State Representative, Asheville
Pam Hemminger, Mayor, Chapel Hill
Wendy Jacobs, County Commissioner Chair, Durham
Jillian Johnson, Mayor Pro Tempore, Durham
Lydia Lavelle, Mayor, Carrboro
Esther Manheimer, Mayor, Asheville
Graig Meyer, State Representative, Raleigh
Robert Reives, State Representative, Raleigh
Susan Rodriguez-McDowell, County Commissioner, Charlotte
Steve Schewel, Mayor, Durham
Damon Seils, Councilmember, Carrboro
Kandie Smith, State Representative, Greenville
Terry Van Duyn, State Senator, Asheville
Braxton Winston, Councilmember, Charlotte

North Dakota
Tim Mathern, State Senator, Fargo

Ohio
Elizabeth Brown, Council President Pro Tempore, Columbus
Phyllis Cleveland, Councilmember, Cleveland
Valerie Cumming, Vice Mayor, Westerville
David Donofrio, Board of Education Member, Southwestern City School District, Columbus
Rob Dorans, Councilmember, Columbus
Basheer Jones, Councilman, Cleveland
Wade Kapszukiewicz, Mayor, Toledo
Brian Kazy, Councilman, Cleveland
Leeman Kessler, Mayor, Gambier
David Leland, State Representative, Columbus
Dale Miller, County Councilperson, Cleveland
Bhuwan Pyakurel, Councilmember, Reynoldsburg
Emmanuel Remy, Councilmember, Columbus
Matt Zone, Councilmember, Cleveland

Oklahoma
Carrie Blumert, County Commissioner, Oklahoma City
James Cooper, Councilperson, Oklahoma City
Carri Hicks, State Senator, Oklahoma City

Oregon
Chloe Eudaly, Commissioner, Portland
Kathryn Harrington, Washington County Commission Chair, Hillsboro
Susheela Jayapal, County Commissioner, Portland
Alissa Keny-Guyer, State Representative, Portland
Teresa Alonso Leon, State Representative, Salem
Eddy Morales, Gresham City Councilor, Gresham
Sharon Meieran, County Commissioner, Portland
Jessica Vega Pederson, County Commissioner, Portland
Carla C. Piluso, State Representative, Gresham
Carmen Rubio, County Commissioner, Portland
Jeff Reardon, State Representative, Portland
Ricki Ruiz, Reynolds School Board Member, Gresham
Deian Salazar, Precinct Committee Person, Portland
Marc San Soucie, City Councilor, Beaverton
Lori Stegmann, County Commissioner, Portland
Stephanie Stephens, School Board Member, David Douglas School District, Portland
Andrea Valderrama, Chair, David Douglas School Board, Portland
Marty Wilde, State Representative, Eugene

Pennsylvania
Janet Diaz, Councilmember, Lancaster
Ronald Filippelli, Mayor, State College
Jordan Harris, State Representative (Democratic Whip), Philadelphia
Timothy Kearney, State Senator, Springfield
James F. Kenney, Mayor, Philadelphia
Kevin Madden, County Commissioner, Media
Joanna McClinton, State Representative, Philadelphia
William Peduto, Mayor, Pittsburgh
Joseph Schember, Mayor, Erie
Michael Schlossberg, State Representative, Allentown
Judith Schwank, State Senator, Reading
Brian Sims, State Representative, Philadelphia
Jared Solomon, State Representative, Philadelphia
Danene Sorace, Mayor, Lancaster
Erika Strassburger, Councilmember, Pittsburgh

Rhode Island
Jorge Elorza, Mayor, Providence
Raymond Hull, State Representative, Providence

South Carolina
Carol Jackson, Councilmember, Charleston

South Dakota
Shawn Bordeaux, State Representative, Mission
Linda Duba, State Representative, Sioux Falls
Reynold Nesiba, State Senator, Sioux Falls
Ray Ring, State Representative, Vermillion

Tennessee
John Ray Clemmons, State Representative, Nashville
Indya Kincannon, Mayor, Knoxville
Seema Singh, Councilwoman, Knoxville
Tangi Smith, County Commissioner, Clarksville

Texas
Nicole Collier, State Representative, Fort Worth
Vikki Goodwin, State Representative, Austin
Donna Howard, State Representative, Austin
Celia Israel, State Representative, Austin
Clay Jenkins, County Judge, Dallas
Ina Minjarez, State Representative, San Antonio
Christin Morales, State Representative, Houston
Ron Nirenberg, Mayor, San Antonio
Letitia Plummer, Councilmember, Houston
Edward Pollard, Councilmember, Houston
Carl Sherman, State Representative, Lancaster
Sylvester Turner, Mayor , Houston

Utah
Patrice Arent, State Representative, Millcreek
Joel Briscoe, State Representative, Salt Lake City
Luz Escamilla, State Senator, Salt Lake City
Ann Granato, Salt Lake County Council, Millcreek
Stephen Handy, State Representative, Layton
Suzanne Harrison, State Representative, Draper
Timothy Hawkes, State Representative, Centerville
Sandra Hollins, State Representative, Salt Lake City
Jani Iwamoto, State Senator-Assistant Minority Whip, Salt Lake City
Dan Johnson, State Representative, Logan
Brian S. King, State Representative, Salt Lake City
Erin Mendenhall, Mayor, Salt Lake City
Carol Spackman Moss, State Representative, Holladay
Angela Romero, State Representative, Salt Lake City
Jeff Silvestrini, Mayor, Millcreek
Steve Waldrip, State Representative, Eden
Raymond Ward, State Representative, Bountiful
Elizabeth Weight, State Representative, West Valley City
Mark Wheatley, State Representative, Salt Lake City
Jenny Wilson, Mayor, Salt Lake County
Mike Winder, State Representative, West Valley

Vermont
Thomas Chittenden, City Councilor, South Burlington
Brian Cina, State Representative, Burlington
Mari Cordes, State Representative, Lincoln
Ali Dieng, City Councilor, Burlington
Sarah Copeland Hanzas, State Representative, Bradford
Kristine Lott, Mayor, Winooski
Jim McCullough, State Representative, Williston
Ann Pugh, State Representative, South Burlington
Marybeth Redmond, State Representative, Essex
Robin Scheu, State Representative, Middlebury
Joan Shannon, Councilor, Burlington
Maida F. Townsend, State Representative, South Burlington
Theresa Wood, State Representative, Waterbury
Michael Yantachka, State Representative, Charlotte

Virginia
Richard Baugh, Councilmember, Harrisonburg
Elizabeth Bennett-Parker, Vice Mayor, Alexandria
Patrick Hope, Delegate, Arlington
Mark Keam, Delegate, Vienna
McKinley Price, Mayor, Newport News
Sam Rasoul, Delegate, Roanoke
Sal Romero, Vice Mayor, Harrisonburg
Ibraheem Samirah, Delegate, Herndon
Shelly Anne Simonds, Delegate, Newport News
Kathy Tran, Delegate, Springfield
James Walkinshaw, Supervisor, Fairfax County
Justin Wilson, Mayor, Alexandria

Washington
Claudia Balducci, County Council Chair, Seattle
Reuven Carlyle, State Senator, Seattle
Jeannie Darneille, State Senator, Tacoma
Mona Das, State Senator, Olympia
Jenny A. Durkan, Mayor, Seattle
Joe Fitzgibbon, State Representative, West Seattle
Jessica Forsythe, Councilmember, Redmond
M. Lorena González, City Council President, Seattle
Roger Goodman, State Representative, Kirkland
Mia Gregerson, State Representative, SeaTac
Lisa Herbold, Councilmember, Seattle
Sam Hunt, State Senator, Olympia
Jay Inslee, Governor, Olympia
Karen Keiser, State Senator, Des Moines
Jeanne Kohl-Welles, King County Councilmember, Seattle
Connie Ladenburg, County Councilmember, Tacoma
Liz Lovelett, State Senator, Anacortes
Jamie Pedersen, State Senator, Seattle
Gerry Pollet, State Representative, Seattle
Chris Roberts, Councilmember, Shoreline
Cindy Ryu, State Representative, Shoreline
Rebecca Saldana, State Senator, Seattle
Sharon Tomiko Santos, State Representative, Olympia
Tana Senn, State Representative, Mercer Island
Derek Stanford, State Senator, Bothell
My-Linh Thai, State Representative, Newcastle
Dave Upthegrove, Councilmember, Des Moines
Javier Valdez, State Representative, Seattle
Derek Young, County Councilmember, Tacoma

West Virginia
Rosemary Ketchum, Councilwoman, Wheeling

Wisconsin
Samba Baldeh, Alder, Madison
Shiva Bidar, Councilmember, Madison
David Bowen, State Representative, Milwaukee
Jonathan Brostoff, State Representative, Milwaukee
Ryan Clancy, County Supervisor, Milwaukee
Michele Doolan, Dane County Supervisor, Cross Plains
Julie Gordon, County Board Supervisor, Oshkosh
Michael Norton, County Commissioner, Oshkosh
Shawn Rolland, County Board Supervisor, Wauwatosa
Sequanna Taylor, County Supervisor, Milwaukee
Michael Tierney, Alder, Madison
Michael Verveer, Alderperson, Madison

Wyoming
Charles Pelkey, State Representative, Laramie
Mike Yin, State Representative, Jackson

Dick and Dianne Demand Prez Consult on Refugee Admissions for FY2021

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

So what else is new!

Dick and Dianne: Blah! Blah! Blah!

Senator Dianne Feinstein and pals sent a sharply worded letter to the Trump Administration demanding their right to a consultation on the number of refugees the Trump team is willing to admit to the US beginning in two weeks.

The funny thing is that since I have been following the US Refugee Admissions Program there was never such a demand prior to Trump and I can remember very well that Obama wasn’t exactly on fire to hold consultations with the House and Senate.  Such “consultations” were held at the staff level without fanfare.  But that was then and now that Trump is president they demand their rights!

What is never said is that there is no requirement in the law that says we must admit any refugees to the US—the “ceiling” could be zero!

Since I have been doing a series on the FY2021 Presidential Determination, go here, I’m posting this ho-hum piece of news to help round-out my archives on the topic.

Feinstein, Durbin, Nadler, Lofgren to Trump: Consult Congress about Refugee Resettlement as Required by Law

Washington–Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) joined Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Representatives Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) and Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) to call on the Trump administration to restore our nation’s long-standing bipartisan tradition of providing safety to the world’s most vulnerable refugees and to immediately engage in meaningful consultations with Congress, as required by law, before setting the annual refugee admission target for fiscal year 2021.

Prior to any presidential determination on the number of refugees to be admitted in the upcoming fiscal year, the law requires that cabinet-level officials representing the president engage in a consultation with Senate and House Judiciary Committee leaders. The law is clear that the consultation must occur before the start of the fiscal year. Yet, for the last three years, the Trump administration has refused to consult with Congress in a timely or meaningful manner.

“Fiscal Year 2021 begins in less than a month, yet we have not received a proposed refugee admissions plan from the Administration and the consultation has not been scheduled. As such, we urge you to immediately transmit the Administration’s proposed refugee admissions report to Congress and expeditiously schedule the statutorily-required consultation,” the members wrote in a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Homeland Security Under Secretary Chad Wolf, and Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar.

The members continued, “Given the magnitude of this crisis, the United States must not abandon our leadership role in providing safety to refugees who are most in need of resettlement. Surely we can do more when it comes to helping refugees.”

In their letter, the members outline how the Trump administration has decimated the United States Refugee Admissions Program and ignored the statutorily-authorized role of the Senate and House Judiciary Committees. The administration has set the annual refugee admissions target at embarrassingly low numbers for three years in a row. In FY 2018, the administration set a target of 45,000 refugees and ultimately allowed just 22,507 refugees into the United States. In FY 2019, the administration slashed the target to just 30,000, which was the number of refugees ultimately admitted. This fiscal year, the administration dropped America’s moral standing to a new low by setting a target of only 18,000 refugees and issuing an executive order purporting to allow state and local governments to block refugees from being resettled in their communities. As of September 4, 2020, the administration has admitted just 9,474 refugees this fiscal year.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), there were more than 79 million people displaced worldwide at the end of 2019, a record high. Among this displaced population are 26 million refugees – the highest number in history – more than half of whom are children. UNHCR estimates that 1.4 million refugees are in urgent need of resettlement.

Full text of the letter is available here.

Only a couple of years ago the refugee industry was demanding 75,000 refugees from the Trump Administration but now, election year, it is 95,000!

This line from the letter has become the industry’s talking point for FY2021:

Since the enactment of the Refugee Act of 1980, the United States had set an average resettlement goal of 95,000 refugees per year until President Trump took office.

It makes the gullible media believe that all Presidents over the decades have wanted that huge number, but indeed even their darling Obama never dared to set a ceiling that high until he was ready to leave office.***

Have a look at the ceilings and actual admission numbers going back to 1980.

The high numbers in the early years represented large numbers of Southeast Asians and Russians escaping Communism.

Go to the Migration Policy Institute where you can click on each data point and get exact numbers. It is very interesting. See that it’s been 25 years since anyone set a ceiling at 95,000 or admitted that large number. https://www.migrationpolicy.org/programs/data-hub/charts/us-annual-refugee-resettlement-ceilings-and-number-refugees-admitted-united

 

When looking at the graph, consider the Presidents over those years.

Ronald Reagan (1981-1989) Extremely concerned about helping those escaping Communism

George HW Bush: 1989-1993

Bill Clinton: 1993-2001

George Bush: 2001-2009

Barack Obama: 2009-2017

*** I don’t know why but, the Migration Policy Institute does not have Obama’s last ceiling at 110,000 as the data maintained by the Refugee Processing Center shows.  See chart in this post.

The President May Postpone Decision on Refugee Numbers for FY2021

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Here is the first news I am seeing about where the Trump administration is on the decision to admit refugees for FY2021 which begins on October first.

I’ve been telling you in a series of posts (tagged FY2021) about the pressure the Leftist Open Borders agitators are putting on the White House to set a ceiling of 95,000 refugees for next year—a number way above anything the Obama administration ever admitted.

From Reuters at the National Post:

Trump administration considers postponing refugee admissions -U.S. official

WASHINGTON — U.S. officials are weighing whether to postpone or further cut refugee admissions in the coming year amid legal fights over President Donald Trump’s refugee policy and uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, a senior official said.

The possible postponement – one of several options under discussion – would mean some or all refugee admissions could be frozen until a legal challenge to a 2019 Trump order on refugees is resolved “with some greater degree of finality,” the official told Reuters.

It is not clear when that lawsuit may be resolved, especially if the case goes all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, a process that could take months or even longer.

Just as a side note, it was then Defense Secretary James Mattis (with other generals) who fought to keep refugee numbers high in the early years of the Trump administration thus making him a darling of the Left. https://www.niskanencenter.org/general-james-mattis-plea-to-resettle-iraqi-refugees/

The president typically sets yearly refugee levels around the beginning of each fiscal year and the Trump administration has not yet announced its plans for fiscal 2021, which begins on Oct. 1.

The refugee cap was cut to 18,000 this year, the lowest level since the modern-day program began in 1980. So far, roughly half that many refugees have been let in as increased vetting and the coronavirus pandemic have slowed arrivals.

The senior official said that even if 2021 admissions are not delayed, next year’s cap could be cut below current levels.

“The arc of this administration’s refugee policy is going to continue,” said the official, who requested anonymity to discuss the ongoing deliberations.

Trump and his top officials have said refugees could pose threats to national security and that resettlement should take place closer to countries of origin. The administration also contends that refugee resettlement can be costly for local communities, although refugee backers reject those arguments.

The possible moves remain under discussion and no final decision has been reached, the official stressed.

[….]

In addition to greatly reducing refugee admissions to the United States, Trump also issued an executive order in September 2019 that required state and local elected officials to consent to receive refugees, saying it would better ensure refugees were sent to areas with adequate resources to receive them.

Three of nine federal refugee contractors successfully sued to stop the Trump order to give state and local governments a say in refugee resettlement. They have been deciding for four decades where to place refugees and they want to continue to have that power.

Below, partially federally-funded HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society) CEO Mark Hetfield holds a press conference.

 

 

In January, a Maryland-based U.S. district judge blocked the order from taking effect, prompting Trump administration officials to consider a possible “deferral” of refugee admissions until the court case is resolved, the senior official said.

The case is now on appeal, so the administration has a very good reason to postpone making any decision about numbers.

The Refugee Act of 1980 leaves the discretion up to the President and there is no requirement in the law that says we must admit any refugees!

More here. See the discussion about how Biden wants 125,000 refugees this coming year, but that Trump has successfully severed the pipeline into America which refugee promoters say will take months (years!) to rebuild.